Enjoy camping and paddling at beautiful Caddo Lake / Big Cypress Bayou where bald cypress trees draped with Spanish moss tower over a maze of bayous, sloughs and ponds. There are over 50 miles of boat roads and kayak trails in the area. We will explore several of them! This is a level 2 trip due to trip mileage length and potential hazards (current in Big Cypress Bayou and nearby distributaries, alligators, sun, mosquitoes, snakes).
Official Paddle Trips:
- On Friday there will a medium length paddle for those of us that can reach the campsites by about 10:00. We will either put in at the Park's boat launch, about 1/4 mi. away from the campsites, or do an exploratory paddle in a new area.
- On Saturday is our longest paddle (9 AM - 3 / 4 PM). Again, we anticipate the put in will be at the Park's boat launch, about 1/4 mi. away from the campsites.
- On Sunday is a middle length paddle (9 AM - 1 / 2 PM) from the Shady Glade Resort in Uncertain, Texas. Leaving for return trip to Houston from the Shady Glade.
Please let me know which of the 3 paddles you plan to participate in! By Wednesday March 20, please inform me if you will arrive early enough to attend Friday's paddle AND if you plan to stay late enough to attend Sunday's paddle.
If some participants are interested, we can plan to break up into 2 groups on the Friday and Saturday paddles in order to have shorter alternatives for those of us who want that. Please let me know if you desire that option so that I can work to accommodate you with a route and a trained Trip Leader.
Please bring plenty of water, sunscreen, lunch and snacks.
Please bring your radios - if you have them!
GPS will likely not be necessary, but you may want to pick up a map of the boat roads at park headquarters.
Unofficial Paddle Trips:
If you arrive Thursday or early Friday - you can paddle on your own!
Camping:
Please join us at Caddo Lake State Park: http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/caddo-lake. I have reserved 2 Shelter sites & 2 Tent Sites that can hold multiple campers/tents. All are available Friday & Saturday nights. Please contact me to sign up for one of these sites. I will cancel any excess sites by Wednesday, March 13.
Map of the park:
For people who are interested, on Saturday night we can either plan to eat:
- At a restaurant locally
- At a restaurant in the historic town of Jefferson where we could eat and enjoy their shops
- At the campsite with a group meal - possibly our Mexican buffet!
- On your own
These are all optional, of course.
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Trip Leader
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Karen Newcomb
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Trip Assistants
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Trip Rating*
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2
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Ready to Launch at
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~10:00 AM Friday, 9 AM Saturday, 9 AM Sunday
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Duration (hours)
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4 hrs Friday, 6-7 hrs Saturday, 4-5 hrs Sunday
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Paddling Miles
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TBD
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Emergency Initiator
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County Sheriff
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Latest Expected Return
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5:30 PM Friday, 4 PM Saturday, 3 PM Sunday |
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Auto Description/Lic #
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White Toyota 4Runner
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Distance from Houston
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234 miles from downtown HOU
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This is an ACA sanctioned event. All participants in ACA-insured activities must wear properly-fitting U.S. Coast Guard-approved lifejackets (Personal Flotation Devices, or PFDs) at all times during on-water activities. Non-HASK participants must sign a waiver.
Waivers - Please complete our easy to use online waiver if you are a HASK member who has not signed a waiver within the last 12 months or a non- HASK participant. Read the waiver carefully. You give up substantial rights when you sign it.
- Add Smartwaiver with email address “noreply@smartwaiver.com” to your address book to ensure emails do not go to junk/spam.
- Select a link below to complete the online waiver.
ACA-HASK Adult Waiver ACA-HASK Minor Waiver
- Respond to the “Confirm your E-Signature” email from ACA / HASK to confirm your email address. Wavier is now complete and valid.
- You will receive a confirmation email. Please download and print a copy of the waiver and bring it to the trip put-in.
Guests – You are welcome to join us for a couple of paddle trips. HASK will cover the $5 ACA event membership for non-ACA members. Hopefully you will then join HASK and continue paddling with us.